I can't believe it's been a month since my last post. Oops! I thought I would have a lot more time after quitting my day job to post more regularly but I have been keeping busy with kid stuff and freelance work...oh, and getting a bit politically active. Honestly, what did I do when I had my other job?

Anyway, I'm back (mostly) with this awesome recipe for Gluten Free Buckwheat Brownies from the Alternative Baker book by Alanna Taylor-Tobin. The original recipe calls for Chestnut Flour but says a good alternative (to the alternative flour) is buckwheat flour which is what I had on hand. These brownies were dark and fudgey with that familiar crinkly top. So good! I ended up slicing them up into narrow rectangles to feed Lucas' soccer team (one of the kids on the team is gf) so I could have some too. ;) Enjoy!

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year and for the past seven years (since I was pregnant with Lucas) I have hosted it at my house. Today, I've partnered with local family farm Clover to bring you this Easy Butternut Squash Soup recipe that has been on my holiday menu every year. When it comes to dairy, I always buy organic--local is even better, and Clover is in the north coast (where Nick is from!).

Clover is also giving away $100 in Clover Cash. Details below after the recipe.

Banana bread is one of my favorite things to bake. I usually have a bunch of super ripe bananas in the freezer that are perfect for making sweet and moist banana bread. I decided to use my usual recipe from Flour bakery but adding healthy raw cacao powder, cacao nibs and making it gluten free with brown rice flour. Keep in mind this is the healthy version and not super sweet or chocolatey. If you want to go that route, I would swirl some melted chocolate chips into the batter. Yum! Check out these other gluten recipes for Citrus Ricotta Mini Cakes, Cardamom Coffee Cake, Carrot Muffins, Spiced Lentil Soup, and Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes.

When I first had this Tomato Corn Salad at my friend Anne's house over 10 years ago, I just had to have the recipe. It's simple, fresh, always a crowd pleaser and best of all, super easy to make (like, throw-everything-into-a-bowl-and-mix style). Lucas likes the tomatoes and Theo sneaks the mozzarella balls while I'm making it. Try it as a side with Grilled Pizza or Lemon Olive Chicken. Enjoy!

Lately I've been having a love affair with kimchi. We've been eating it at least twice a week with rice, seaweed, and a stack of tofu slices dipped and pan fried in egg--an easy weeknightmeal (perfect for #meatlessmonday).

I had so much fun a few weeks ago shooting Banchan Workshop #5 for Selina at SKYCreatives at the EatWith kitchen studio in San Francisco. Unlike Banchan Workshop No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4, this workshop was all about making one dish--KIMCHI. The guests were so much fun and included some old and new friends including Shu from Aplat who also sponsored the event with her amazing totes, Leslie from Spotted SF, and my friend Carrie and her husband Chris (the class was her Valentine's Day gift to him!).

Here are some of my favorite shots. You could find more details, photos and recipes on the SKYCreatives blog and on her Instagram @skycreatives.

Shujan Bertrand, owner of Aplat, sponsored the event with one of her tote bags for each guest. It was my first time meeting Shu, and she was so sweet, easy going and kind. Stay tuned for an Instagram giveaway for one of her totes.

When nick and I met over 12 years ago, he was a vegetarian and I was a big time carnivore (growing up in a Chinese household meant some kind of meat protein with every meal). We came to a compromise on our dietary preferences very early on in our relationship (true love!) which consisted of eating mostly vegetarian but fish, chicken and turkey were okay. We weren't strict and my willpower was next to none--I mean, how could I resist the occasional slice of pepperoni pizza?

Fast forward to 2016, and many documentaries later, Nick has gone back to his vegetarian ways but includes fish (so, a pescatarian). I truly admire his tenacity but I must admit, as the cook/baker in the house, this was initially a bit of a challenge for me. Of course, Nick told me not to do anything differently and he'll just eat his own thing. But that would not be enjoyable for me-- the idea of the kids and I gorging on my Lemon Olive Chicken while he ate a bagel and cream cheese? So I've challenged myself to cook more vegetarian and fish meals--on the nights Nick isn't home for dinner, I'll cook my chicken dishes if I feel like it.

One of the biggest challenges as the cook in the house is making something that satisfies everyone. This Black Bean Polenta does the trick--we all love it, it's inexpensive, makes amazing leftovers, great for potlucks, plus it's vegetarian and gluten free. I love the version the Juice Bar Collective makes and found a version from Farmgirl Gourmet that I slightly modified.

According to Wikipedia, "Coffee and doughnuts" is a common food and drink pairing in the United States. I would go a bit further to say it's one of the most perfect food and drink pairings--the sweet and tender crumb of a fresh donut paired with a smooth and mellow cup of coffee can't be beat.

I can't tell you how many Oxo kitchen tools I have and use and love. So when they came out with a new line of coffee makers, I was really excited to try it out. I have loved coffee since my college days, switched to decaf when I was pregnant with both boys, and have been back on ever since. While Nick prefers his coffee black, I personally love an almond milk latte. But I will drink a regular coffee as long as it's not too bitter. And has milk in it. A lot of milk.

The OXO On Barista Brain 9-Cup Coffee Maker makes one of the best coffees at home that I've had. I had no idea how much science was involved in making coffee, but I really can tell the difference between our last coffee maker and this new one. It has a microprocessor that monitors time, temperature and volume from start to finish, resulting in barista-quality handcrafted coffee at home with one touch of a button.

The only con I would give is that I can't see how much coffee is in the carafe. But then again, if the carafe were made of glass, the coffee wouldn't stay at an optimal temperature.

Now on to the donuts! I made baked donuts with a blueberry glaze and also a chocolate one with some crushed pistachios on top. I love any kind of donut except for maple bars. This is the first time I've made them at home--sadly, the first batch tasted like play dough, but the second batch using the nonstick donut pan from Williams-Sonoma was a big hit.

Three things I love are food, friends and babies. So when I got invited to my friend Sarah's delicious virtual baby shower, I couldn't have been more excited to participate. Sarah (Snixy Kitchen) is having a baby girl in early February and her friends Alanna (Bojon Gourmet) and Todd (HonestlyYum) decided to host an amazing virtual baby shower with a Cheese & Sweets theme (Sarah's favorite things). Thanks for inviting me to celebrate!

I first met Sarah through my blog when she reached out to me interested in meeting up since she lives in the east bay too. On our first date, we met up at Elmwood Cafe where we instantly connected over food, blogging, our other jobs, and our boys named Lucas. Our second date was at the Whole Foods Market Gilman Store Preview Event and we've been seeing each other since. I couldn't be more excited for Sarah and her Lucas to start this new chapter. I keep telling her it'll be crazy and awesome.

I decided to bake gluten free Citrus Ricotta Mini Cakes with black sesame seeds (an ingredient Sarah uses a lot) and a citrus glaze. The cakes came out wonderfully and I will have to invite Sarah over for a real deal tasting before #cheesebaby arrives!

Check out all these amazing recipes shared by other awesome blogger friends for the shower. Thanks again to Alanna of The Bojon Gourmet and Todd of HonestlyYUM for inviting me to celebrate Sarah and Lucas!

Follow along on social media with the official #cheesebabyshower to join in the celebration!